We have a special fondness for Brunello that goes back to our first European trip together in 2002. We visited my good friend, Claudia, in Venice and then spent some time in Tuscany. One of our Tuscany days was spent in Montalcino, and was such a perfect day that it led us to coin the term “Montalcino moment” for wonderfully serendipitous events.

But that’s a story for another time. Fast forward to today, and Brunello de Montalcino remains near and dear to us. Unfortunately, throughout the years, Brunellos have been outside our price range except for special occasions.

This past Mother’s Day, while walking and drinking our way home from brunch in Hollywood, we (very nearly literally) stumbled across The Larchmont The staff was friendly, The drinks were excellent, and the ambiance was comfortable and charming. We were bound to return.

The thing is, this was The Larchmont’s first brunch, and was a special thing for Mother’s Day. They would be opening for brunch regularly in a few weeks. We made mental note of this and decided to call a few weeks later and find out if they were open.

This past Sunday, while at Trader Joe’s, we noticed a bottle of Bordeaux amongst the French wines. It was priced at $8.99, so we figured we’d give it a shot. Worst case scenario: I have deglazing liquid for the week.

But the worst case scenario was not to be. In fact, this is a remarkably complex, spicy, full bodied wine in the finest Bordeaux tradition.

The first two things we noticed in the bouquet: pepper and dark, ripe fruit. These go beautifully together both on the nose and on the tongue. The fruit lasts into the finish, finally yielding to some pleasantly bitter tannins.

Truly a great wine at an even better price. It’s been at least a decade since we’ve had anything close to this quality anywhere near this price.

It’s been quite the week since we last met. Lots going on at Shami’s and we are looking forward to sharing some exciting news once things get ironed out. But before that happens, there is something else we believe you will really want to know about. Yesterday’s Sunday Brunch at The Larchmont.

Don’t fret. . .this brunch was a meal we will be describing and reviewing in great detail later on in the week. But I have not been able to stop thinking about the Rain Flower.